June 2008
June 29 p Opal Hanshaw, 92, see OBITUARY
page
June 29 a It's the last Sunday in June.
Here's a brief recap from the last seven days.
June 29 a Clay County has heard many
promises over the years. Most promises have fallen thru the cracks. Not
so, maybe anyway, the planned Technical College campus at Valley Fork.
Last week West Virginia State Technical College Prez Joe Badgley and others
came to the county explaining the plan to bring technical college course
to our county of little. He said the place would open for the first classes
on August 25th. The six classroom and one office facility will offer courses
and certificate classes geared toward the job market.
June 29 a If you're thinking you can
receive your first 2 years of class work for a four year bachelor degree
program, you can't. Very few offerings (English classes for instance) can
be transferred to some other West Virginia school.
June 29 a Our School Board showed its
true colors Thursday morning (7:30am) when they convened an unlawful meeting
of the public body. Just two days after their regular meeting (June 23rd),
they decided the annual rehiring of the Superintendent and his NEW salary
(contract) was too sensitive for the taxpayer's ears. You Levy dollars
at work!
June 29 a Without proper notice for
and without legal reason for the Special Meeting, Taxpayers only
ask that elected officials obey the law of the land when we vote them in
office. RB, Gene, Beth, Ric, and Jim continued their course of distrust
and back door handling of our $14 million in tax dollars.
June 29 a Friday afternoon all
the Boil Water Orders were lifted in Clay County.
June 29 a Special Note: Friday afternoon
FEMA came to Clay looking for homeowners with property loss. Commissioner
Queen King put the word out, if you have home, trailer, vehicle loss from
the June 4th storm, give her a call. 286-5185
June 29 a Saturday morning the BC&G
RR Co-Op held their annual meeting in the brand new lodge building at the
JG Bradley Campground at Dundon. By law changes were made to expand participation
of more members. The outside of the building is nearly done, the campground
is operating with 16 electrical hook ups, and the Farimont jitney railcar
is hauling passengers ..... naysayers are still saying, tourism? an excursion
train?, and camp ground, it'll never happen here.
June 29 a For the old blood naysayers,
get on board or step out of the way!
June 29 a Saturday evening a group
of 50 or more came out for the Beach Party night at Summer Jam. Somehow
the radio station managed to stay on the air between the storms. Taking
a break from the struggles of life, those in attendance danced, smiled,
sang, and gobbled up hot dogs. It was a nice break albiet just 2 hours!
By 9:15pm it was time to go back home and see if you had a roof to sleep
under.
June 29 a On the last Saturday of the
month, two monster storms tore thru our county leaving behind sparking,
dangling , power lines and outages. By 10pm last night, those great big
four wheel drive utility contractors were back in the county awaiting orders
on where to begin again.
June 29 a Talking to old timers, June
was the stormiest month they had every seen. Hail, high winds, and heavy
rain, took out utilities time after time in June. As soon as frigerators
were restocked, yelp, another monster blow and resulting outage, sent the
new vittles to the trash can. We were declared a disaster area with nearly
$20,000 in loss to government and non profit operations.
June 28 a As far as we can tell,
all the Boil Water Orders have been lifted in Clay County. If you get malaria
and a hang nail, you can blame us.
June 28 a Be sure to check out the
EVENTS and ADVISORY pages for lots of interesting stuff to do this weekend
in County Clay.
June 28 a A note from the radio station:
Summer Jam goes on rain or shine. If it's raining cats and dogs, the show
will be moved in the station for on air play. If there's just a little
drizzle, bring a rain coat and come out and hear great West Virginia artists.
June 28 a About that unlawful
super secret School Board meeting held Thursday morning before work hours
... Can't help but think about all the different surveys offered
by the School System. Their questions asked about performance and how well
the schools were doing.
June 28 a Maybe some of those
satisfaction questionnaires should have included truthfulness, and willingness
to follow the law by our elected leaders. They certainly ask students to
do that, why not demand the same from Board members.
June 28 a The School Board is
made up of RB Legg, Ric Tanner, Gene King, Beth Cercone, and Jim Dawson.
Hard to get that simple info from the school system web site. It is and
has been been so out of date, the official voice of the $14,000.000.00
empire lists David Pierson as a boardster.
June 28 a At the least, the Clay County
Board of Education is certainly an embarrassment to the entire region and
poor example for young minds.
June 27 p The Boil Water
Order for Ivydale and Big Otter was lifted this afternoon. Drink Drink
Drink
June 27 a Here's a perfect story to
get your day started...
June 27 a The School Board met Monday
evening June 23rd for a regular session meeting where they covered many
many topics making their decisions in public. Near the end of that meeting
the told the public the next meeting of the group would be an organizational
meeting.
June 27 a Tuesday, Wednesday.....
June 27 a Thursday morning at 7:30
am they convened again to do their sensitive stuff, the stuff they want
kept away from the public. Thursday morning, minus the mandated posting
of the meeting agenda, they voted on the Somber Super's salary and his
employment contract.
June 27 a If you want to keep things
quiet, do it before the start of the normal work day and told tell anybody.
June 27 a Why a special meeting for
such votes? It's normal business that could be done during a regular meeting.
Setting the Supers salary has to be done annually as a matter of policy.
For the school system, they chose to hold a special meeting, an unlawful
special meeting, to do the sensitive stuff they want kept away from the
voter.
June 27 a Last year the Board voted
to give the Super second page non taxable incentive deal raising his salary,
tax deferred incentive, and benefits to around $125,000. Not too shabby
for a failing school system that down plays LITTLE educational progress
after the 4th grade level.
June 27 a Such back room deals are
common with our School Board. It shows a top down arrogance and disregard
for the taxpayers in County Clay. How much worse can the elected body look?
June 27 a Pitiful !
June 26 p she could shoot a ground
hog dead at 60 yards....Vesta Mullins Salisbury, see OBITUARY page
June 26 p David Leonard Liddy,
68, of Duck, see OBITUARY page
June 26 p Need a job? See Jobs page
.
June 26 From the email bag: One
of our 1955 CCHS classmates is looking for Lee Ferrebee. He did live
in Nebraska. Does anyone have his current phone number or address?
Please call me 587-2399
June 26 p New water fountain
in Clay this morning? No just a big time water leak in a main line at Two
Run. The 10 inch gash sent wa wa spraying 30 feet straight up in the air.
BOIL WATER ORDER issued by Clay County PSD due to the leak. the BWO is
for Ivydale and Big Otter sections of the PSD service area.
June 26 p The Town of Clay owns and
run the wa wa plant with customers along that main line break. As of 11am,
no mention of a Boil Water Order for town customers.
June 26 a Okey A. Jones, 63,
see OBITUARY page
June 26 a Boil Water Order for Valley
Fork, Newton and Wallback.
June 26 a There's a lot of disappointment
in Clay. We hear reports of good things coming and then Poof, they're gone.
Happens year after year.
June 26 a That new technical college
proposed over at Valley Fork may be different. Yesterday two community
meetings were held by West Virginia State Technical College at the Courthouse
explaining class offerings, type of certificates, and a start date of August
25th... this year.
June 26 a This time around, it sounds
like something good might actually happen in Clayberry.
June 26 a Mention was made yesterday
of a civil trial where GMAC didn't want to pay up on a vehicle loss. The
thing burned leaving only the engine compartment worth salvage. Expert
testimony revealed the nice looking Chevy Pick Up had been torched
near the end of 2006 and sounded like the finger was pointing at Mr Young
Sr. as the match lighter.
June 26 a Point all you want, in a
directed verdict, Young won the case.
June 26 a What the H is a directed
verdict? From NOLO: A ruling by a judge, typically made after
the plaintiff has presented all of her evidence but before the defendant
puts on his case, that awards judgment to the defendant. A directed verdict
is usually made because the judge concludes the plaintiff has failed to
offer the minimum amount of evidence to prove her case even if there were
no opposition. In other words, the judge is saying that, as a matter of
law, no reasonable jury could decide in the plaintiff's favor. In a criminal
case, a directed verdict is a judgement of acquittal for the defendant.
June 25 p Boil Water Order remains
in affect for Valley Fork, Newton and Wallback areas of the Clay Roane
PSD service area. Boil it first!!!
June 25 p Happy 83rd Birthday
to Ella Faye Martin of Ivydale from your "little princess" Alexia
June 25 p County Commission met
this morning resulting in a couple interesting snippets.
June 25 p In the bills to be paid,
the Prosecutor's office had a bill for "candles" which turned out to be
a tart burner to make the place smell better. With all the attorneys coming
and going from the office, it could get stinky real quick.... Commissioners
declined to pay for tart burners.
June 25 p Courthouse employees were
given the green light for a $125 per month pay raise.
June 25 p And relating to the recent
power and water outages, a Wallback fellow was less than happy with the
performance of the county emergency services director, Pat Beets. Many
elderly people up Ric Workman's hollow went without any attention by the
OES Director. After Workman brought up many shortcomings, Commission Prez
Queen King sided with Beets. After hearing the response, Mr Workman left
saying the discussion was a waste of his time.
June 25 p There's a civil trial in
progress where GMAC is raising the issue of whether they should pay for
a burned up pick em up truck owned by Tommy Young Sr. The truck near the
end of 2006. This morning an expert provided testimony the
totaled sliver GM stretch cab was torched. Interesting case with Wayne
King defending Young Sr.
June 25 p John was on his deathbed
and gasped pitifully. 'Give me one last request, dear,' he said. 'Of course,
John,' his wife said softly. 'Six months after I die,' he said, 'I want
you to marry Bob.' 'But I thought you hated Bob,' she said. With his last
breath John said, 'I do!'
June 25 a Wednesday morning the County
Commission meets in regular session with a big long agenda of reappointing
volunteers to various boards and committees.
June 25 a Wed afternoon there are two
community meetings at the Courthouse concerning the new college campus
at Valley Fork. Might be just a dog and pony show but for those interested
in college classes in the county, see ADVISORY page for details. For those
looking for free munchies show up at 3:30 or a little later!
June 25 a From the college's email:
West Virginia State Community and Technical College will hold four informational
sessions at the Clay County Commission Room for residents of Clay, Roane,
Braxton and Nicholas counties at 3:00 PM and 6:30 PM on Wednesday, June
25th and Tuesday, July 1st. The purpose of the meetings will be to
survey community interest in course offerings at the future Clay County
Educational Center. Representatives of the College will admit students,
distribute financial aid information, and recruit faculty during the sessions.
For more information please contact the College 304-766-5113. West
Virginia State Community and Technical College does not discriminate on
the basis or race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or age.
June 24 p BOIL WATER ORDER issued by
Clay Roane PSD around 3pm today. The areas affected by the BWO are Newton,
Wallback, and Valley Fork. A main service line was severed when well drillers
struck the line near Wallback.
June 24 p The repairs have been made
but water has not been restored for much of the BWO area.
June 24 p The Communicator made it
to the news stands around 4pm today. 28 great pages of news and views second
to none.
June 24 p Get well wishes extended
to Chief Train Engineer Man Roger Nutter who's in CAMC with ticker problems.
June 24 a Missouri Marie Tanner Fitzwater,
see OBITUARY page
June 24 a Yelp another storm came tearing
thru the county Monday evening. Thunder boomers big time and more rain.
No reports of outages so far.
June 24 a 100+ 4Hers took off for Camp
Shepherd Monday morning. Parents are at ease once again. The little brats
are someone else's responsibility!
June 23 p Received an email this afternoon
around 1 reporting that the Bomont area of the county is still without
electric service.
June 23 p With DSL service more stable
now, looks like we'll be able to get the Communicator out the door Tuesday
afternoon. Keep your fingers crossed.
June 23 p Job opening over on the JOBS
page
June 23 p From the email bag: I have
10 extra tickets for the Robbie Knievel event at the fairgrounds next weekend
if anybody wants them. He's going to try to jump 500 Obama supporters with
a bull dozer
June 23 a Sunday afternoon storms ripped
thru County Clay taking out electric and tele services. Much of the county
was without utilities beginning mid afternoon. Areas around H.E.
White Elem appear to be the hardest hit by wind, heavy rain and hail damage.
Much of that end of the county remained without utilities well into the
evening hours.
June 23 a Due to poor internet connectivity
and spotty tele service late into last night, hate to say it, but The Communicator
has been delayed. Not sure what the publication date will be ... soon as
possible for sure
June 23 a Sunday 3:15 pm: It only lasted
about 20 minutes but that was enough time to bend and break trees, utility
poles, and power lines. Hail bounced off the ground like rubber balls.
June 23 a Sunday 3:20: power off for
much of the county
June 23 a Sunday 3:25: WYAP went off
the air, the street flooded going into downtown Clay.
June 23 a Sunday 3:40p: over the scanner,
trees down all around H E White Elem school. emergency crews cutting their
way into the area.
June 23 a Sunday 3:44p over the scanner
"the power is out in Bickmore and Hartland"
June 23 a Sunday 3:49p Badge "If you
all get what I just got, watch out, the ground looks like its snow covered"
June 23 a Sunday 4:20p "Tree limbs,
gravel and everything in the road on Camp Creek"
June 23 a Sunday 4:27p "It's real foggy...
visibility is about 20 feet...looks like winter on Camp Creek
June 23 a Sunday 4:40p "The telephone
company is calling out contractors."
June 23 a It was bad clickers. As of
Sunday night many went without power. With the norm being to go to the
grocery store on Saturday's, once again, Clay County got the hurtin put
on it with much food already spoiled.
June 23 a With his blueberries almost
ripe, hail took out a bunch of RT Sizemore\s grape and berry crop. Maybe
worse, the hail damaged an even larger apple crop.
June 23 a more updates as the
DSL allows.
June 22 p Seems like every time we're
ready to update, a storm slows down or wipes out the DSL. 2:30pm the weather
advisories are flashing hail, high winds, and vivid lightening.
June 22 p Update as conditions allow
June 22 p Politicians flip flop like
a fish in a frying pan. McLame changed from being against off shore oil
drilling while Obama de Bama did an about face on taking federal campaign
funds.
June 22 p Closer to home, our new Black
Shirt Badge was heard on the scanner working the roads and pulling over
motorists. Summer officially came last Friday.
June 22 p In the way of public meetings,
it was quiet.
June 22 p Also warming up the country,
gay marriages became legal in California. Is it the decline of morals
or just one more step little different from the outrages of old... giving
blacks full protections of law, or allowing women to own property or even
vote.
June 22 p Six weeks ago with
much fanfare The Widen Documentary opened in Charleston. On the
BC&G RR blog, there seems to be some not supportive of the movie's
content. From their blog: On Tuesday, May 20th, the Board of Directors
of the Buffalo Creek and Gauley Railroad Cooperative, met in our new building
at the J.G. Bradley Campground. After much discussion of the movie, The
Widen Project, all board members expressed their disapproval of this production,
and accordingly voted unanimously to: DISAVOW ANY CONNECTION WITH THIS
MOVIE, AND TO NEITHER SUPPORT IT IN ANY WAY. WE WILL NOT SHOW IT, SELL
IT, OR PROMOTE IT. There were many positive interviews that were not included,
and a number of negative and provocative interviews which should not have
been included, and were done so with no approval from CAEZ. Further, CAEZ
was not given an opportunity to review the movie before its release, and
would not have approved the final version, had they been given the opportunity
to do so. We are saddened to take this position, since it had been
hoped that this movie would be a very positive and supportive instrument
to further the railroad co-op, the campground, and Clay County in general.
June 22 p That's quite a change from
their early May posting which read in part: Saturday, May 12, 2008,
at the LaBelle theatre in South Charleston--what an event. It was
the world premier of THE WIDEN PROJECT, and this beautiful antique theatre,
which is itelf a museum piece, was filled to near capacity with frolk from
all over to enjoy this once n a lifetime event. It was a stellar
crowd and an evening to be remembered, The companion company owned towns
of Widen, Swandale, and Dundon were all represented, and for those in attendance,
the movie just served to refresh many memories, as the real days of that
age will never be forgotten. However, there were many aspects of
the movie that were so disturbing that further consideration has caused
many second thoughts about the movie and our support of it. The B,
C, and G railroad project was refreshed in the minds of one and all, and
new and welcome support was expressed and forthcoming.
June 22 p Unless the power and internet
are knocked out by the approaching storm, The Communicator comes out Monday
afternoon. In the mean time, batten down the hatches and hold on to your
hat.
June 21 Great big heaps of fun and
music tonight at Summer Jam. Good time to wish Bill Triplett a Happy Birthday
too
June 21 a Connie Sizemore is the organizer
for the Apple Festival Pageants. All the information for the event is over
on our ADVISORY page. Better get signed up ASAP, lots of nice prizes
June 21 a Seen any weird stuff going
on. Bumps in the night? Strange sounds? See our AdVISORY page.
June 21 a Something from the
radio station folks: WYAP is trying to find some non profit group to operate
Bingo games during the Independence Day Celebration. Normally the Lion's
Club group does such but July is their month off. Want to raise some
$$$$ for your group? Bingo during the July 4th fun may be just what you're
looking for! Contact the radio station for details; wyap@frontiernet.net
June 20 a Happy West Virginia day!
With schools out and the Courthouse closed down today, it should
be a quiet time in County Clay.
June 20 a We're holding the Communicator
up until Monday afternoon. No nothing spectacular in the way of a juicy
story, we just got balled up time wise.
June 20 a From the email bag:
Happy birthday, WVA #145
June 20 a From the email bag:
FATHERS' DAY WAS DEVESTATING TO ARNOLD & WANDA DEEMS, OF WALLBACK,
THIER TRAILER HOME BURNED TO THE GROUND, THEY LOST EVERYTHING. THE TWO
OF THEM WERE ALWAYS THE FIRST OUT TO HELP ANYBODY IN THIER TIME OF NEED,
NOW THEY ARE THE ONES IN NEED THEMSELVES. PLEASE IF YOU CAN HELP
IN ANY WAY , PLEASE CALL 587-7791 ANYTHING WILL BE GREATLY APPRECIATED.
June 20 a When the Gov declares a disaster,
he really just asking the Feds to do so. Yesterday the Prez did just that
in many West Virginia counties relating to the June 4th storm which tore
thru our 342 square miles.
June 20 a There are different levels
of disaster declaration. With about $17000 worth of damage and expense
to government and non profit agencies, from King Joe: PUBLIC ASSISTANCE
(Assistance to State and local governments and certain private nonprofit
organizations for emergency work and the repair or replacement of disaster-damaged
facilities): Barbour, Clay, Doddridge, Gilmer, Harrison, Marion and Taylor
counties.
June 20 a Translation: individuals
and households that sustained damage, you're out of luck unless you're
in Barbour, Doddridge, Gilmer, Harrison, Jackson, Jefferson, Marion, Taylor,
and Tyler counties.
June 20 a For those interested in riding
the BC& G RR "jitney", according to their most recent newsletter, it's
up and running. Tele number to reserve your seat is 304 587-6055 or 304
872-1757.
June 19 a Mo Truman died a couple weeks
back. It didn't take long for the Governor
to recognize a good Clayonian.
June 19 a There's a budding entrepreneur
on Main Street.
June 19 a In front of the trailer park,
next door to the Health Dept., on Main Street, there's a 6
or 7 year old busy selling kool-aid. Sure would be a nice jester to stop
and partake of the kid's efforts and brand new road side stand.
June 18 p Great big block party Thursday
evening up in Ivydale. See EVENTS page
June 18 p The U.S. military (that's
Dubbya) hid the locations of suspected terrorist detainees and concealed
harsh treatment to avoid the scrutiny of the International
Committee of the Red Cross.
June 18 p Weather reports called for
a massive storm Tuesday afternoon and evening. Most of the county escaped
the wrath but not before we cleaned out grocery store shelves buying up
provisions. High winds and falling trees did knock out power out Triplett
Ridge leaving many without juice for several hours.
June 18 p Warm summer nights, picnics,
kids running around bare foot... It's also West Nile virus season. See
ADVISORY page for details from the Clay Health Dept.
June 18 p For those wondering, the
JG Bradley Campground is open and ready for you to spend a weekend or week
enjoying life in laid back style.Here's a
link to their blog.
June 18 p The Communicator comes out
Friday afternoon. Deadline for submissions is tomorrow afternoon at 3pm.
Email your stuff right away.
June 18 p How about a topic sure to
fire up letter to the editor writers: High gas prices is the best
thing to happen to the country in years. $5, $6 a gallon gas is the ONLY
way to force people to conserve on fuel and reduce our dependence on drinddling
oil reserves.
June 18 p Your comments please. Put
your name on the emails if you want them printed in Friday's award
winning newspaper.
June 18 p A 3-year-old boy examined
his testicles while taking a bath. 'Mom', he asked, 'Are these my
brains?' 'Not yet,' she replied
June 16 p Clayberry is in a tizzy this
afternoon. Weathercasters are reporting a big time storm heading our way
complete with very high winds and damaging hail.
June 16 p The last time such reports
came our way, we were without power for several days. Will update as best
we can. Won't be any if the electricity heads south.
June 16 p Batten down the hatches just
in case
June 16 p Men have a problem
when it comes to their zipper. One county over, the 911 Director was
arrested this morning after charging, among other things, male enhancement
drugs on the county charge acccount. True the 911 man has to be ready for
almost anything, but dumb dumb dumb.
June 16 a Danny Workman, 55,
see OBITUARY page
June 16 a Danny was the guy often seen
walking the streets of Clay sometimes getting into mischief. One time he
jumped out of a second story Prestera window breaking his legs. Likeable
but getting into trouble came with his territory. Instead of Hello, his
opening was normally, Can you give me a dime?
June 16 a From the email bag from Evelyne
McLaughlin: Bro. Bill's wife, Allie Boggs Eagle, passed away yesterday
morning. She lived in Mercer, Pennsylvania. Services will be
Monday evening.
June 16 a The Country Music Assoc
held a fan appreciation week down in Nashville June 2 thru the 8th.
Our own Natalie (Cole) Logan received some pretty good reviews. Check
this link out, about 3/4's the way down the page.
June 15p Some observations from
the last seven days or so.
June 15 p The Sheriff's Dept collects
fees (around $5000 or so annually) for process serving. At the end of each
year those funds go into the county's general account as mandated by state
code. Since the reign of Clarence Douglas, when the $$$ build up, they're
used to purchase new cruisers.
June 15p Early last week we found out
the Sheriff purchased a shiny new gas guzzlin' pick um up truck on June
3rd. To do that the Commission, or quorum of the CCC, had to give the OK,
a decision, by signing the $24000 purchase check. That quorum was Fran
Queen King and Slinkinooooger. All decisions of the County Commission MUST
be done during a public meeting. This decision was not. Not during the
regular session of the CCC on Wed June 11th nor during the Emergency meeting
held June 13th.
June 15p Clay Roane PSD met a couple
days ago in the hot, cramped, Procious Water plant. There they reversed
a cost cutting decision from two months ago. Back in the Spring, the Board
changed water operator work schedules to reduce overtime and cut pump times.
Thursday night they changed back to their old ways. Guess putting in for
a water rate increase changes a lot of thinking.
June 15 p And, yelp, they still
have that humongo water leak... somewhere
June 15 p Two truck loads of
tires were collected during Saturday's Clay County Tire Amnesty day by
the Solid Waster Authority. That's 1700+ tires safely recycled that didn't
wind up in a creek, hillside, or roadside.
June 15p People made money this week.
Lots of it! Yard sales, garage sales, and road side vendors set up in every
shady spot around the county.
June 15p Saturday night the rain subsided
and a bunch of folks came out for square dancing, clogging, hot dogs, and
great traditional music during Summer Jam 2008.
June 15p Can't help but think
about RT Sizemore. Mid day Thursday, when it was around 95 degrees, there
was RT way down over the hillside working on some small plants. Well into
his 80's, RT came walking up the hill and never broke a sweat nor was winded.
Without missing a step after the long haul up the hill, he preceded to
show the visitor every variety of grape and berries being grown. Needless
to say, the visitor, me, was ready for some A/C real quick... Not so RT,
still going strong
June 15 p Today is Father's Day.
The day for a new shirt, tie, and hugs. It's also a day to think
back on those that have passed on. For that ace cub reporter.....
June 15p It's that dark spot on the
couch where Amos Waddell rested his head after 14 hour work days. With
his shirt off revealing a lilly white chest but leathery dark arms and
neck, both Amos and the couch are long gone. Not so the memories of his
hard work keeping us in toys, food, and love.
June 15 p Happy Father's Day and Father's
Day memories to each and every.
June 13 LATE p Thomas J Triplett,
69, see OBITUARY page
June 13 LATE p NOTICE:
The Boil Water Order issued last week for Ivydale and Big Otter has been
lifted EXCEPT for the Otter Lick section of the system.
June 13 LATE p From the email bag,
belated: I want to wish Erica Neal of Indore , a very Happy Birthday
on June 13th from ALL THE GANG
June 14 LATE p How about a little
help, from the email bag: I need someone to shear my sheep, l ram and 3
ewes, they need sheared badly. evelyne 587-2399
June 13 LATE p Lots going on this weekend
including a great opportunity to get rid of those wore out tires. The ones
setting on the porch, out back, and laying in the yard! Saturday is Tire
Amnesty Day in Clay. See EVENTS page for details.
June 13 LATE p This morning
County Commission voted to hire Chris Legg as a new deputy in the County.
The new recruit starts to work Monday. He was seen driving home a county
vehicle this afternoon. County insurance doesn't pick up on the lad until
Sunday night at midnight according to Commissioner Peter Triplett.
June 13 a Charles Otis McCumbers, 25,
of Nebo, see OBITUARY page
June 13 a Happy 28th Birthday
to Amanda Brook Fitzwater on Friday, June 13th
June 12 p From the email bag:
If you see Rodney Nutter wish him a big ole Happy Birthday June 11,2008..Rodney
works for Kings Wrecker Service, known as unit 52. Happy Birthday son I
love you mom ( Linda J. WIlliams)
June 12 p From the email
bag: We'd like to wish a very Happy 28th Birthday to Amanda Brook
Fitzwater on Friday, June 13th. Love, her family!!
June 12 p We have some great
Clay County musical talent that often go unnoticed around here. Groups
like 2Blue, that's Harold Allen and Terri Lively put together great music
and are well recognized in other parts of the state. Here's an article
from over in Fayette County.
June 12 a Clay Roane PSD meets tonight
at 7pm at the Procious Water Plant. The three times amended meeting agenda
is over on the ADVISORY page
June 12 a Clay County Commission met
Wed morning. The 45 minute gathering appeared to go well with little in
the way of excitement with one exception...
June 12 a In attendance CAEZ Director
Connie Lupardus quoted from the award winning Communicator and said the
info was ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL wrong. She was referring to the May 28th
meeting coverage where the CCC raised concerns over a $10,000.00
Budget Digest Grant earmarked for water service study, upgrades on privately
owned property at Maysel. Normally, tax dollars ( Budget DIgest grants)
cannot be used for private business owners.
June 12 a Make sure you pick up the
latest edition of the Communicator for details on that meeting..
June 12 a Of course what Big Lup was
actually saying was, the independent newspaper was deadly accurate on meeting
coverage, published was exactly what went on during that May 28 CCC meeting,
a meeting Lupardus did not attend.
June 12 a Lupardus attended the June
11th meeting and explained to the CCC: the $10,000 would be used to upgrade
water service but the CAEZ intended to BUY that 14 acre tract of hillside
at Maysel and turn it into affordable housing.
June 12 a Quiet meeting. No major outbreaks
of anything.
June 12 a County Commission is suppose
to make all decisions during a public meeting. That's the law. During the
June 11th meeting there was no mention of their decision to buy the Sheriff's
Dept a new $24,000 four wheel drive SUV pick em up truck. Not one mention.
The truck was purchased by Sheriff Holcomb last Tuesday and is designated
for Deputy Jeff Rider.
June 12 a Now, an Emergency meeting
of the CCC has been called for Friday at 10 am. There the elected folks
will formally hire Chris Legg as a Deputy Sheriff. Once again there was
no mention or mention of the need to have an Emergency meeting, during
Wed's June 11th meeting.
June 12 a When elected, they're
asked to do just one thing, follow the law of the land. Doesn't seem to
be the case in Clay.
June 10 LATE p Oscar James
McLaughlin, 80, see OBITUARY page
June 10 p Storms ripped thru
the county in the wee hours today taking out electric service for many
once again.
June 10 p Not sure what a Skiffle Band
is but there's one from England coming tonight at the High School. See
the EVENTS page for details
June 10 p Meeting wise, the Clay PSD
Board meeting slated for this morning was canceled due to lack of interest.
It's been rescheduled for next Tuesday at 11 am. Wed's Housing Authority
meeting has been rescheduled for Wed June 18th at 2pm. Seems those folks
forgot to post their meeting agenda on time
June 10 p In the morning the County
Commission meets at 10 am.
June 10 p Last Friday kids finished
up another year of edumacation. Today teachers called it quits. Not sure
which group was the most happy.
June 10 p Our new Valley Dale Elem
school made thru its first year of use without falling down. True the roof
leaks, the heating system was put in backwards, the floors are cracked,
but maybe the most glaring short fall is the stink. The smell of septic
tank gases emits from nearly every classroom. Not once in a while, but
all the time with afternoon's bringing the worst of the worst foul odors.
We call it Valley Dale Elem which is what the state education folks call
it. Teachers there call it Big Otter Elem. Many others call it Big Odor
Elem for olfactory reasons.
June 10 p The contractors warranty
is good for one year which runs out shortly. Isn't it a shame $8 million
tax dollars were spent and all the problems remains. Seems the School Board
should have had a someone overseeing the construction of the slip prone
project.
June 10 p
June 9 Late p Shirlena
“Sherry” Ellen King Rhodes, see OBITUARY page
June 9 Late p Yes Sir! The Communicator
made it to news stands Monday afternoon around 5pm. 24 pages of great information
on what's going on in the County Clay.
June 9 Late p Tomatoes are the
most popular crop for home gardeners. There is now good reason to grow
your own. Salmonellosis! Here's
the govt link for the most up to date info on protecting yourself from
the sometimes fatal results from consumption.
June 9 Late p From the email bag:
Hi my name is Kelley Thompson as you may or may not have heard I have just
finished a film documentary about the town of Widen. This news may be of
interest to your readers as it can now be purchased by contacting Kelley
Thompson at 304-344-1990 or e-mail killer64@suddenlink.net You can learn
more about the film on the internet by searching for “The Widen Film Project”
or Kelley Thompson film maker
June 9 a We're busy typing and
formatting the latest edition of the Communicator. No new updates until
we get it out the door this afternoon around 4pm.
June 9 a I was walking past the mental
hospital the other day and all the patients were shouting,'13....13....13'
The fence was too high to see over but I saw a little gap in the planks
and looked through to see what was going on. Some ^^!!## poked me
in the eye with a stick. Then they all started shouting '14....14....14'...
June 8 a John Edwards and Joe
Biden knew when to say when. Hitlary didn't. She finally bowed out
of the Prez race 2 months after having no chance of winning. Vote for a
black man? West Virginia as a swing state? Not a chance. We're solidly
Republicrat and walking in lock step with John McLame. Another losing proposition.
June 8 a War? What war? Australia leaving
the coalition of the willing?
June 8 a There have been 4,404
coalition deaths -- 4,091 Americans, two Australians, 176 Britons, 13 Bulgarians,
one Czech, seven Danes, two Dutch, two Estonians, one Fijian, five Georgians,
one Hungarian, 33 Italians, one Kazakh, one Korean, three Latvian, 22 Poles,
three Romanians, five Salvadoran, four Slovaks, 11 Spaniards, two Thai
and 18 Ukrainians -- in the war in Iraq as of June 6, 2008, according to
a CNN count.
June 8 a Closer to home we lost one
of Clay County's great music talents, Mo Truman.
June 8 a Around 2am Wed morning thunder
boomers and high wind struck our county leaving many without utilities.
For those that didn't get wiped out by that storm, Wed afternoon around
4:15pm, tornados sat down in the county uprooting more trees and further
turning the power grid into a can of worms.
June 8 a Half empty school buses traveled
the tree strewn roads laced with downed power lines. By 9 am Wed, the buses
were back on the dangerous roads taking the kids home. School was called
off. On Thursday, yelp let's have school despite no wa wa at Valley Dale
Elem nor electric or tele at HE White. How can you call it a school day
when kids are told to stay home?
June 8 a 24 hours into the mess, the
newness wore off. No TV, no water, no DSL. Hair got greasy. Deodorant could
only do so much. For some, life got to normal Thursday afternoon. For
others, most others, power was restored by Saturday evening. Many in the
county reported eyeballing tornado's first hand up frnt and personnal.
June 8 a King Joe came to town Friday
morning to dedicate the Dundon Ski Slope bridge a week after it had opened
to the public. The election year dog and pony show included a trip to Clay
High. At least one kid was too afraid to ask the big question: Gov.,
how can I get one of those MBA's without going to college?
June 8 a Friday afternoon school let
out for the last time. School's out for Summer break. Kids smiled. Teachers
breathed a sigh of relief, they hadn't pinched off the neck of some
kid for another year.
June 8 a Saturday afternoon 101.7 FM
got back on the air when power was restored to their transmitter around
5pm. Saturday night young people were on the WYAP Summer
Jam stage singing in a Karaoke contest. Those in the audience, tapped
their feet and enjoyed a warm summer night outdoors.
June 8 a Wonderful Clay County West
Virginia.
June 8 a Who killed JFK? Conspiracy?
The answer may never be known but here's a very
interesting video raising more questions than answers. Even if
1/10 of the video is true... very troubling indeed. Note: you need high
speed for viewing.
June 7 a NOTE from the radio
station: WYAP remains off the air due to lack of electricity at the transmitter
site. Tonight's season opener Summer Jam will go on as scheduled beginning
at 7p. Cake Walks at 6:30p. Bring your lawn chairs and hear great Clay
County singers
June 7 a Rats! Forgot one:
Happy Birthday to Elva Vaughan on June 5th. We Love You, Tina, David &
Matthew.
June 7 a From the email bag: I want
to wish my daughter Leslie Blanton a very happy birthday on June 7.
Love, Mom and Ronnie
June 7 a From the email bag:
We are looking for our dog his name is Jack he is a Dachshund.he is brown
and he is old he might be with a big black girl dog with long hair her
name is bear they he is they are from the lizemores area we have had him
for a long time and we all miss him alot if you find them please call 632-2163
if no one answers leave a message
June 7 a Many in the county remain
powerless due to Wednesday's storm. Ovapa and Triplett Ridge remain without
electric. Most telephone service has been restored. The coffeehouse crowd
provided stories of war like conditions in the Widen and Harrison neighborhoods
where the storm was particularly unkind.
June 7 a How bad is it? Friday
afternoon Gov King Joe added Clay County to the list of disaster
areas in the state.
June 7 a The last day of school was
yesterday. Kids and teachers are free for two and one half months to do
as they darn well care. Happiness covers the county.
June 6 a Belated email: I just
wanted to wish my brother Joe Craddock a very Happy Birthday on June 2.If
you see him wish him a happy birthday. Love bunches your sister Mary Forrer
June 6 a The Communciator is coming
out Monday. Deadline for submissions is today at 5pm. Email ASAP
June 6 a While many in the county continue
to be without power and or water, politicos are staging a big dedication
ceremony for the Dundon Ski Slope which has been open for over a week.
Complete details on the ADVISORY. Free food for any one that shows up.
June 6 a People lost their homes
at the highest rate on record in the first three months of the year, and
late payments soared to a new high, too -- an alarming sign that the housing
crisis and its damage to the national economy
may only get worse.
June 6 a In their cars, int he stores,
in the jon, walking down the street, they have their head tied to a cell
phone. Here's a study on tracking
cell users without them knowing it. Worse yet, they don't care. Next
thing you know, the govt will be tracking us in our cars... Oh, they
already do that with those GPS units.
June 6 a For those in the northern
end of the county and doing without water, help is on the way and it ain't
from King Joe. Clay PSD rented a generator Wed to power the pumps which
fill the storage tank for Ivydale and Big Otter areas. The pumps are now
pushing about 4 feet of water in the storage tank each hour. Look for water
to be restored soon . That's unless some dumb bunny decides to fill his
swimming pool.
June 6 a Clay Schools were in session
yesterday but without many students. Kids at HE White and Valley Dale Elem's
were told by bus drivers to stay home. Valley Dale was without ANY water
while HE White was without power and water. Some in the county are real
upset that holding school when many kids can't attend... well you see their
point.
June 6 a How about something to make
your day.
June 6 a Town Council met on Tuesday.
During the meeting they made public the poor financial state of the municipal
log factory. Trith is, it's been int he red since it went on line over
10 years ago and now they're hiring a second operator!
June 6 a Town Recorder Llyn Drake said
she only knew of two ways to get the poop factory in the black. Either
raise rates or implement a town B&O tax. Council person Joyce Gibson
added they could implement a $1 per head per week employee tax for those
that work in the municipality. Look for a decision on the ideas soon. Bet
they won't win any popularity contests in the near future!
June 6 a During Thursday's BDA meeting,
the Board seemed to be in agreement: they wanted to get rid of the old
Filcon Industrial site; a local buyer is willing to pay $150,000 for the
place near Ovapa; he wants to set up a carp raising farm there; and, the
place, may actually employee a couple people if it comes to be.
June 6 a Carp Farm........ Hmmmm........
Maybe we have another answer to the financial woes at the Town\s log factory.
Instead of building big tanks to hold the poop eaters at Filcon,
how about just raise the bottom feeders in the log factory! Might work
and cheaper too.
June 6 a This is the weekend for yard
sales, swimming at the pool, and Karaoke music at the season opener, WYAP
Summer Jam 08 Saturday night. Can you sing? Be there at 7pm with your music
CD. You might win a cash prize.
June 6 a Never, under any circumstances,
take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night
June 6 a People who want to share their
religious views with you almost never want you to share yours with them.
June 6 a Never lick a steak knife
June 6 a Men are like a fine wine.
They start out as grapes, and it's up to women to stomp the crap out of
them until they turn into something acceptable to have dinner with
June 5 p Carl Steven “Mo” Truman,
58, of Duck, see OBITUARY page
June 5 p Maynard Paul Graham,
64, of Glen , see OBITUARY page
June 5 p Little ole Clayberry
isn't immune from big city bad stuff.
June 5 p According to reports, an older,
overweight male dressed as a utility worker gained access to an elderly
lady's home at Procious just after linch today.
June 5 p The scoundrel made off with
the lady's jewelry and a safe after locking her into the bathroom.
June 5 p Law enforcement was heard
on the scanner on the look out for a dark colored car. As of 3pm, no word
on catching the skum bag.
June 5 p With temps in the 90's
and under scorching sunshine, repair crews continue to restore electric
and water service. Around 1pm electric service in the Twistabout
area was restored.
June 5 a Boil Water Order issued by
Clay County PSD for the Ivydale area of the county. Be safe, boil it first!!!
June 5 a Clay County PSD is setting
up a water station at the Big Otter Community Center for those needing
bottled water. The water will be available around 1pm today. If you need
it, get it.
June 5 a Laurel Nursing Home is without
water. The problem is no wet stuff in the storage tanks due to power outages.
Clay PSD is now setting up portable generators to fire up the booster pumps.
Even when the generators are up and running, word has it, no wa wa until
late Thursday night.
June 5 a Sunshine returned to the weather
ravaged county this morning. Repair crews are hard it restoring utilities
to most of the county. Many areas remain without power or water service.
For Clay Roane and Clay County PSDs, both need electric, three phase electric,
to run their pump stations. Gloom and doom: it's going to be while before
Clay returns to normal.
June 4 p Sadly we report the passing
of Steve "Mo" Truman around noon today. From a You Tube posting: Somewhere
a little past noon our friend ended his fight to stay here with us and
passed on.. Thank you all for every prayer , comment and nice thought that
was sent up on his behalf. Mo loved people and was loved by many. He lived
life just the way he felt it should be lived.. His brain was bleeding and
his fever was up to 105 last night. He eventually became unresponsive.
I will post a little message from Mo's cousin Cindy and thank her for keep[ing]
all of us informed while we all worried about our friend. Thank you everyone
Hook. Heaven sure is rejoicing today. Mo passed
on, we've lost him. I know that he sure was loved by a lot of people.
I will write once more when I know more information. I can't think
of what to say right now. I've lost my words. Thanks for all your prayers.
He didn't have any pain. Love to all of you, our family, and Mo's
friends that are now our friends. I feel like you are part of our family.
Cindy
June 4 p Sorry for slow updates.
Around 2 am this morning a minor storm came thru the county wiping out
power for most.
June 4 p With the power off,
kids made it to school just long enough for school to be closed down sending
them back home around 9 am . It was a ghost town with most places closed
up, no power, not even Go Mart where the parking lot was empty.
June 4 p Scanner traffic and comments
from this afternoon....
June 4 2:30 p Big time thunder
and wind came ripping thru. The sky turned black. Over FM radio came National
Weather Service reports every 15 minutes or so reporting the advance from
t he West of 70 mph winds. Around town, with each report, locals got more
jittery.
June 4 Between 4 and 4:30p
the major storm hit the middle of the county bringing monster wind and
heavy hail. Trees cracked and fell bringing with em power and tele lines.
4:20p Green Shirt Bailey reported a major puddle of water blocking
the South bound lane coming into downtown Clay. Bailey: The South
Bound lane near the bridge is flooding, it does it every time a cow takes
a leak!
June 4 By 4:30p reports of power lines
sparking and transformers on fire all around the county. State Road crews
trying to leave their rural hill top headquarters couldn't, fallen trees
cut them off from duty. 4:40p Thunder rumbled thru again. The rain
came down quicker.
June 4 late afternoon: Gov King Joe
Manchin declared several Northern counties disaster areas.
June 4 4:55p Over the scanner: trees
above Spread park look like a tornado came thru... it's pretty bad... Rt
4 to Ivydale is a disaster area... Lines on fire near the HArtland bridge
June 4 5p Heavier rain and more
thunder hampered repair efforts. The Elk RIver turned to mud
June 4 A little after 6 p Go MArt at
Clay was the place to be. Many waited there for roads to be reopened. Others
waited on tasty chicken to take back home.
June 4 Scanner: The left Fork
of Sandy is passable again. It's looks like a hurricane touched down
June 4 Did we have a tornado touch
down. For sure according to one eyewitness on Maple Road near Wallback.
With trees uprooted and thrown about, one ended up on top of his
roof causing heavy damage. (Pictures coming)
June 4 7:30p Over the scanner: Rt 4
to Ivydale and 16 to Big Otter is open again.
June 4 7:40 p An ambulance trying to
get back to downtown reported the road near Wallback was completely blocked
by high water.
June 4 8:10 p Is
it over? Not according to the National Weather Service
June 4 NOTE: We're holding up The Communicator
until MONDAY to include coverage of the Dundon Bridge Dedication Ceremonay
Friday morning.
June 4 Deadline for this edition will
be Friday at 5pm. Email over your notices, classifieds, chatters, and such
ASAP
June 4 Happy Birthday wishes extended
to the ace cub reporter and Communicator Editor in Chief Terri Kerns both
celebrating the passing of time, ever so graciously, on June 5th
June 4 4 Depending on electricity,
DSL, and the weather, more postings as we can.
June 3 a BC&G RR's Buffalo
Gals are in the middle of a raffle where winners can win $100.00 worth
of cakes from Deb's Creative Cakes. Interested in tickets? Call Ramona
Samples 548-6579 or Irene Cantrell 548-7530. Drawing will be July 11th.
June 3 a Clay Town Council meets this
evening at the Water Plant on Main Street. Looks like they're going to
hire another Water Operator in training. Last week the Mayor put on the
payroll a much needed sewer operator in training.
June 3 a CAEZ meets at 4:00 and again
at 6pm with the full Board. Both meetings are open to the public.
June 3 a Want input in what classes
will be offered this fall at the new technical college at Valley Fork?
Survey forms are being filled out now. Call the CAEZ for yours.
June 3 a from the email bag:
Happy Belated Birthday to my grandson, Noah Riley Tanner, from Keyota Braley,
for June 2, 2008. Noah was 5 years old. He is the son of Miles Alan Paintiff
and Brandy Tanner
June 3 a From the email bag: I wish
I had the time to speak with the governor's office / governor to see if
there's any good reason it couldn't be called the Missouri Hamrick Memorial
Bridge (or something like that) as a tribute to the lady and her poems
that were written gaining the attention of the gov. officials in Charleston.
causing the first bridge to be built way back in CC history.
June 3 a That bridge can be properly
named. Time to call up our Legislative reps. You can be the first to make
the call and get the ball rolling.
June 3 a The radio station's
outdoor music show Summer Jam 08 opens this Saturday night at 7pm. It's
Karaoke night at the Jam. Bring your music CD, arrive a little early to
sign up, and be heard on the radio on 101.7Fm and around the world on the
internet. Cash prize too!
June 2 p From the email bag:
I just wanted to wish my brother Joe Craddock a very Happy Birthday on
June 2.If you see him wish him a happy birthday.Love bunches your sister,
Mary Forrer
June 2 p When was the last time
you were invited to something? Check out the ADVISORY page for your invite
to the new Dundon Ski Slope Dedication Ceremony.
June 2 p The School Board meets
tonight at Standard Bryant Annex on Gump Street. Several new hires and
transfers plus the resignation of Frank Klemans as Wrestling Coach as well
as Mike Kearns from coaching duties for the CCHS Golf team.
June 2 p For years the Business Development
Authority has wrestled with the old Filcon site near Ovapa. Other than
mowing the grass last Sept., little... nothing, has been accomplished.
Years ago this site raised some hackles when we suggested the swamp land
be turned into a worm farm.
June 2 p We're hearing a rumor now
that the BDA MAY sell/give the 7 acres of now out of the wet to the state
folks for them to financially back a fish farm on the site.
June 2 p Fish farm? Yelp. The
BDA explored setting up such a facility out Widen way where 1000's of gallons
of fresh water flows daily. That never happened and the water still runs.
June 2 p According to the coffee house
crowd, this new endeavor would filter and reuse storage tank wa wa eliminating
the need for high dollar PSD water.
June 2 p Sounds too good to be true
but maybe this time something good will happen to the old Filcon site now
called the Valley Fork Industrial Park.
June 2 p How much bottled water
do you buy each day? How about this as the next idea for the Widen Mine
water supply.... Bottle the stuff and call it just that, Widen Mine Water.
Keeping in mind the wet stuff is absolutely pure and ready to drink untreated,
bet it would sell big time and be fairly low cost to set up.
June 2 p Town Council and CAEZ meet
Tuesday afternoon. Both are air conditioned public meetings. Why not attend?
June 1 a The first week of Summer brought
little in the way of excitement in the land of little. Here's our recap
from the last seven days or so.
June 1 a It's quiet in County Clay.
Few break ins around the county and none in the municipality. We're down
to about two town drunks and they ain't even falling down... much.
June 1 a Gardens grew. Flowers bloomed.
The Elk River ran emerald green. Graduated seniors hung out at Go Mart
with nothing to do. Youngsters rode bikes and ran around bare footed in
cut off jeans.
June 1 a The new Dundon bridge was
to have opened Wed with the Governor on hand to cut the ribbon. didn't
happen. King Joe was a no show. With the modern marvel still closed
to traffic, the old Dundon bridge remained in use. That's until a piece
of decking broke lose forcing repairmen on overtime wages to make emergency
repairs.
June 1 a After months, years, of waiting,
without ceremony, the new Dundon bridge was opened late in the day on May
29th.
June 1 a On Friday County Commission
convened to recount ballots from the May 13th Primary election. Every democrat
vote in the 33rd House of Delegates race was hand counted. You could
see the fire between Dave Walker and Blankenship as each spoke and jockeyed
for position. Blankenship wanted the votes counted on the same optical
scanning machine used on election night while Walker insisted on a hand
recount.
June 1 a In the end after hours of
counting and hearing "tally", Walker grew his Clay County lead by
a couple votes.
June 1 a We understand over in Gilmer
COunty where they too were recounting the ballots, Blankenship came up
around 10 votes or so.
June 1 a As it stands right now,
Dave Walker will be the Demorat with his name on the Nov General election.
UNLESS, candidate Ron Blankenship takes the uncounted ballots issue to
Circuit Court. If the Calhoun County choice could get Precinct 37 tossed
out, he would be the Demo nominee in Nov.
June 1 a Consensus from the coffeehouse
crowd, much like Hillary's campaign, it's over, has been over for some
time, for Blankenship.
June 1 a Making Summer official, the
Clay County Swimming Pool readied and open for business Saturday May 30th.
Complete with some new patio furniture, a great place to send those nasty
ankle biters to get em out of your hair.
June 1 a A man and his wife were
awakened at 3:00 am by a loud pounding on the door. The man gets up and
goes to the door where a drunken stranger, standing in the pouring rain,
is asking for a push. "Not a chance," says the husband, "it is 3:00 in
the morning!" He slams the door and returns to bed. "Who was that?" asked
his wife. "Just some drunk guy asking for a push," he answers. "Did
you help him?" she asks. "No, I did not, it is 3:00 in the morning
and it is pouring rain out there!" "Well, you have a short
memory," says his wife. "Can't you remember about three months ago
when we broke down, and those two guys helped us? I think you should
help him, and you should be ashamed of yourself!" The man does as he is
told, gets dressed , and goes out into the pounding rain. He calls out
into the dark, "Hello, are you still there?" "Yes," comes back the answer.
"Do you still need a push?" calls out the husband. "Yes, please!" comes
the reply from the dark. "Where are you?" asks the husband. "Over here
on the swing," replied the drunk.